Neither Saturday’s persistent rain nor the flood warnings displayed on TV stopped supporters from attending the “Kayford 8 Benefit Concert” at Walnut Street’s Next Door.The event was organized to raise money for the Kayford 8 protestors’ legal fees, which have accumulated to approximately $19,000, said Kayford 8 protestor and ETSU student Ash-Lee Henderson.

“All of the Kayford 8 are collectively fundraising,” Henderson said. “Kentucky Mountain Justice just hosted a spaghetti dinner for one member.”

At 11 p.m., Next Door was alive with riveting Rock n’ Roll music that vibrated the room and sent loud, enthusiastic energy out to the car-packed street and the Acoustic Coffee House beside it.

After paying a $5 cover charge, guests were greeted by friendly advocates who are against mountain top removal mining.

Tables covered with informative pamphlets, and pictures and posters surrounded the room.

On display for a silent auction were handcrafted hats, paintings and photographs that local artists donated for the fundraiser.

“All the sales from the beer, the auction stuff and the door will go to Mountain Justice and go toward the Kayford 8 defense fund,” Audra McCurry said.

McCurry organized the event and was there on behalf of Mountain Justice, an organization devoted to the halt of mountain top removal.

“We are here to support them because they do something that takes a lot of bravery, a lot of courage, a lot of love and a lot of spirit,” she said, her eyes tearing up. “These are our brothers and sisters, and they do something that not all of us can do.”

Mountain top removal is detrimental to the earth, to the animals and to the native people of the land, McCurry and other supporters standing around her said.

“The ecosystem’s totally changed,” ETSU graduate student Anita Shell said. “Streams are built with sludge. Communities are wiped out.”

Fishing, which is a vital industry in the area, has now been affected, supporters said. It’s valued economically and reaches out to a wide spectrum of people in the community.

Kayford 8 supporter Logan Shell expressed a strong statement about his reaction to mountain top removal.

“Don’t shit where you eat,” he said. “Here’s the deal: we all depend on this little piece of rock we live on, so treat it as such.”

Henderson continued the passionate conversation.

“Our struggle is to find economic alternatives and to show people it’s poisoning us, it’s killing us, and it’s making us fight among each other,” she said. “Our fight is not with the miners. Our fight is with the industry. Our fight is to save people’s lives and give them alternatives to mining.”

Anita Shell, a member of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance at ETSU, summed up the group’s message.

“Stop mountain top removal now, before it stops us,” Shell said.

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